Bagatelle game.



No. 672,771. Patented Apr'. 2s, :son H. w. Hoops, 1R. v

BAGATELLE GAME.

(Appxscmon med Feb. 2e, 1901.)

(No Model.)

grille-RO? me' ohms warms co., Pusmumo.. wAsmNewN. u c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.Y

HENRY W. HOOPS, JR., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BAGATELLE GAM E.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 672,771, dated April 23,1901. Application filed February 26, 1901. Serial No. 48,95 7. (Nomodel) To @ZZ whom it mar/y concer-71,:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. HOOPS, Jr., a citizen of the United States,and aresident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, in the cityand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Bagatelle Game,of which the following is a specification.

My improved game-board is constructed with an inclined ball-raceterminating at its lower end in a horizontal range of pockets, to whichdifferent values are assigned. On or in the surface of the inclinedball-race are placed a number of defiecting obstructions formed ofoblique ribs or channels, so that a number of balls started at the upperend of the race will follow devious and indeterminable courses inrunning by gravity to the bottom, where they are caught in pockets, thelocation and value of which cannot be readily determined in starting.The values of the respective pockets are indicated by any one of aseries of differing scales, on each of which the n u In bers areirregularly arranged, the said scales being marked on any desirablenumber of parallel vfaces on a rotatable cylinder mounted in a casing atthe lower end of the board having a single range of perforations in itsside directly over the range of pockets, so that either scale or rangeof numbers may be exposed to View directly over the respective pockets,enabling the value of the respective pockets to be changed at eachpla-y.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figurel is a plan view of a game-board, illustrating the invention. Fig. 2 isaside view thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of thesame. Fig. 4 is a plan or front view of the scale-cylinder detached.Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section illustrating a modification.

The board may be made of wood, sheet metal, or any other suitablematerial.

A represents the inclined ball-race mounted bet-Ween sides B B andhaving at its upper end a fiat space or table ct, on which the balls areplaced at starting.

c c represent a number of oblique and irregularly-arrau ged delectingribs or channels serving to deflect the rolling-balls and divert theminto irregular and indeterminable courses. At the lower end of the boardare pocket-s d, separated by partitions d' and forming a horizontalrange. At the entrance ofthe respective pockets are shallow cu ps ordepressions e, adapted to receive and hold a ball descending withmoderate velocity and to prevent the entrance of a second ball into thesame pocket unless this strikes the first ball with considerablemomentum, in which case the first ball may be driven to the bottom ofthe pocket, so that in the case of rapidly-running balls two or more mayoccupy the same pocket. The deflecting obstructions c-byoffering unequaland uncertain resistance to the run of the respective balls render ituncertain whether one or more than one will lodge in the same pocket,thus enhancing the uncertainty of the result and the difficulty ofdetermining the same beforehand.

At the lower end of the board is a cylindrical casing f, having in itsfront face a horizontal range of apertures' g, one for each pocket d,and within this casing is a rotatable cylinder 72 preferably made inhexagon,

Octagon, or other polygonal form, and having on its flat faces anydesirable number of scales 1I or ranges of figures, as illustrated, forexample, in Fig. t. On the end of this cylinder is a thumb-handlej forturning it so that either one of its scales or ranges of numbers '1l maybe brought into View through the sight-apertures g, the exposed numbersdetermining the value of the respective pockets at each play andenabling the value of the respective pockets to be varied indefinitely.

If preferred, the fiat table a, from which the balls are started, may beformed with depressions a', and may be hinged, as at a2, as illustratedin Fig. 5, so that a set of balls may be disposed on the saidstarting-table and the latter then lifted, as shown in dotted lines, tostart them on their course.

In operation two or any larger number of persons may play, and the gameis won by the player who Iirst reaches a predetermined number-say twohundred, more or lessby the sum of the numbers of the pockets in whichhe may place the balls in successive plays. Each player in successiontakes any equal number of balls k-four, for exampleplaces or drops themon the flat head 0L of the race, and starts them on their way. When theyreach the bottom, he adds up the numbers assigned to the particularpockets in roo which the balls may have lodged, and this is his score.

The' cylinder h may be shifted after each play, so as to change thevalues of the respective pockets, or, if preferred, a player may beallowed to give the cylinder a turn at the instant the balls arestarted, so that he can form no judgment as to the values of the pocketsat the moment of starting the balls.

The balls used may be small common marbles of glass or clay or may be oflighter or heavier material, as preferred.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A bagatelle game constructed with an inclined race for a number ofballs, a range of pockets at the lower end of the race for the receptionof balls running down the race by gravity, and a shiftable scale ofnumbers readable with relation to the several 'pockets and enabling thevalues of the respective pockets to be changed, as described.

2. The combination of the inclined race A, oblique obstructions c,placed in said race to deect the course of the balls; a range of pocketsd, at the lower end of the race into which the balls run by gravity; anda series of diverse scales applicable to said pockets to change theirrespective values, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the inclined ballrace A, deecting obstructions cthereon range of pockets d, and rotatable cylinder h having a series ofdiverse horizontal scales i, either of them capable of being placedopposite the pockets so as to vary the values of the respect-ivepockets, as explained.

HENRY W. HOOPS, JR.

Witnesses:

OcTAvIUs KNIGHT, J. GREEN.

